When you want to hear God laugh "Tell him your plans" God is remarkable and he endures all, so I simply turn it over to him~ In this I beat TNBC

With perseverance, hard work and a true passion or desire to want to be successful you can achieve any goal you set. The rewards always out weigh the risk at the end of all your hard work.  At the very least you walk away with more knowledge and experience, and cant ever fail giving your best. I think some people are "in love" with an  idea and not the clear vision of the reality to achieve it. In life I feel we all have opportunities to improve. Sometimes you will never know the answer to the question why, and other times it presents itself years later. The lessons meant for me are the lessons that strengthen me. I don't take on challenges or tasks that I am unable to see to the end and dedicate my all to. The past twenty years with my husband has required hard work, growing together, a mutual respect and to never entertain the option to quit. There have been some small cracks that surfaced in my children during my battle with breast cancer and my road to recovery. They recovered quickly and are on their way back up heading toward their dreams and goals. We are very proud of how we all held on to each other and prevailed as we where only able to achieve this together.

Having a little knowledge on many topics can either be beneficial or detrimental, as it depends how you use it. I feel my rewards outweigh my risks when I jump in and give it my all. I have never allowed the opinions of others to sway or upset me. I do my best everyday and try diligently to raise my children to not have entitlement, but to work hard, be respectful, help others, live happily, love and have complete faith in God.  It can only upset you if you are receptive to any negative. I know its not my duty to save anyone and its not in my ability to change them. God is  remarkable and he endures all, so I simply turn it over to him.


What breast cancer profoundly changed in me, is for me to utilize my natural talents and to reach out to help others. It enabled me to slow down, look outside my normal everyday life and say how can I help? I stopped and listened and feel that Gods will and his intent I will strive to do. The hardest aspect for me was to be still and hear what he was saying. It took a few times as I arrived at a serious fork in the road of a "game changing" decisions God had to knock on my head, as I now find humorous. "When you want to hear God laugh , tell him your plans"I am still working on patience's as its not a strong suit of mine. I work at not letting the small things interfere with my demeanor or perspective and happiness.
I now have a true appreciation for life and others that have come into mine. I am so grateful for the everyday blessings and people that inspire and enhance my life. The sad reality is life has no guarantees as we all know, so the importance of happiness and how we live everyday is priceless.
I thank God daily I am cancer free and pray to remain healthy. I look ahead to the future and make  distant plans to watch and experience my children's growth and achievements.

I  am excited about my final reconstruction surgery in March as I feel I have paid my dues to arrive at the final aspect of  a long road. I personally would not of electively considered surgery. I do however view it as a nice consolation prize toward restoring my physical look of my personal normalcy.

I have my first of many checkups over the next several years in the next few weeks~ I have no fear to await my blood tests I can honestly say. I am healthy, and happy and have complete trust God remains holding me as I trust in him.


Please keep myself and family in your prayers


www.gofundme.com/I-will-beat-cancer

"Courage is not the absence of fear, it's the conquest of it!" As The sky is the limit, and I choose to reach for it!

A 10 year survivor quoted"Courage is not the absence of fear, it's the conquest of it!"


I have met many amazing people and realize we all have a story. Some stories are so engaging you are on the edge of your seat, others bring on tears of both joy and sorrow and some make me want to stand up and cheer. Never the less I'm always humbled and  honored to have people share their stories with me. I write and place personal health struggles, triumphs and raw emotions for all to read so they too can see even with all of our stories so unique (some are so opposite from A to Z) we are all uniquely human and do intertwine on many levels. 
It is very interesting to see up close as I deeply believe how small the world really can be.


This year is about living in my new normal, obtaining some past normal and combining both~

I plan on experiencing things I have never before done and sights I have yet to see. I will push past my comfort zone and reap the rewards. I can not live and see  greatness,achieve my dreams and goals unless I push past all boundaries and create new limits. Life is for the living, and I choose to reach for
  the so called difficult and challenging obstacles and concur them as nothing is ever truly out of your reach. All that is needed is a strong will, perseverance, and a true desire to accomplish your goals and dreams.

This is my year to regain my health (I'm well on my way) and to enjoy my kids. To be able to have lunch with my daughters at their elementary school cafeteria. This is my year to watch Jackson have another awesome football season. I will watch Robbie growing into a man. I will attend Delaney and Addison's dance recital.I will listen to Maxson speak in complete sentences and grow by leaps and bounds. I will hold Addison's hand and tell her to make friends with her new kindergarten classmates.
 Rob and I have never lost sight of the spark we have always shared, however this is our year to have an adult weekend and see remarkable "old friends" from college that have remained Rob's friends for over two decades. 
We will take the kids to play in Disney, to see family and to swim in the crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
This is our families year to play hard, come together, live in all silver linings everyday, and to make new family memories full of happiness and  good health. 

I have signed up to volunteer with Pretty in Pink as I am so excited to help as it is a wonderful opportunity to utilize my talents as God intends us to do and help others!

The sky is the limit as I have always relayed to my children, and I choose to reach for it!
The possibilities are endless and I am anticipating a phenomenal year full of love,grace,good health and dreams coming true. I will achieve all goals I set.
 I am looking forward to meeting many more angels among us and spectacular people placed in my path! 

If you are able to volunteer or even make a donation the foundations below selflessly help so many please consider them


Let us join forces to help assist others this year, stretch our comfort zones, utilize our talents, as the sky truly is our limit!


Please continue to keep me in your prayers as my final reconstruction surgery is March 10th~

God Bless you and your family


www.prettyinpinkfoundation.org

www.1in9.com

TNBC Positive outcomes ~ Encouraging Survival & Prognosis

Time is priceless and life is fragile, as many uncertainties can occur~

I do have a medical background however I am currently a stay at home mother of 5 children  ~ I was  diagnosed with TNBC and achieved a PCR following my bilateral mastectomy and only receiving 31% of my prescribed chemo treatments, (being  ultra sensitive) and responding so well I chose to investigate this disease and arrive all facts, long term studies and all positive medical perspectives available so I could help others.

We are all individuals and unique on this journey, however we are all also sisters in this disease, and I am determined to gather all positive studies and silver linings I can arrive with and share them to ease fear.
We are individuals and have many variables, however it is important to know the vast majority of TNBC is chemo sensitive and do have good out comes~

I have studied UK, Canada,US, and  San Antonio TNBC annual meeting as well many long term studies. Here is a synopsis and its sources below. It is imperative we remember TNBC is a very survivable disease and unlike Her 2 positive our risk margins mirror closely then drop considerably in 3 years. In 5 years I'm told by an oncologist the risk is a 2% over my entire life span (so divide 30-40 remaining years into 2% and it is almost untraceable. In light of those who don't consider TNBC to be cured, many oncologist would disagree. Your risk are greater to have a unforeseen life event (car accident for example) than a recurrence after 5 years.
 I also would like to add ,  I  have the privilege to personaly know three remarkably strong stage IV women who are thriving years later with stable disease, living a high quality life of normalcy and 21st century treatments and medications are enabling them to watch their children grow .

My findings and references are below


TNBC is very chemo-sensitive and the majority of patients confronted with and treated for TNBC will never relapse.
TNBCs had excellent outcomes even in the absence of adjuvant chemotherapy, and on reviewing the literature they found a 3% breast cancer specific death rate and  frequently carry a good prognosis
High radiosensitivy was suggested (7% of the patients had a complete response during  chemotherapy had no effect on the rate of recurrence or survival (6-year local recurrence-free survival, metastasis-free survival, and survival rates were 86%, 83%, and 83%, respectively)

references
The joint American Society of Clinical Oncology, and College of American Pathologist 

 Womens Health. 2013

Recent  analysis from a large number of TNBCs from 21 independent studies 

TNBC is more sensitive to chemotherapy. The rate of pathological complete remission (PCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is higher than in other breast cancer subtypes

Although it sounds frightening, the fast growth rate means that standard chemotherapy's have a good chance of inducing remission.TNBC has a much better response to conventional chemotherapy than other breast cancer subtypes. It’s important to remember that most people with TNBC don’t have a metastatic recurrence.

The story of progress in beating TNBC is a testament to decades of painstaking work by researchers around the world. Nearly eight in 10 women diagnosed today will still be going strong ten years later, compared to around half that number back in the 1970s.

The risk of recurrence drops significantly in 3 years, when a woman survives five years without a recurrence, her chances of survival are extremely high.. A woman who has been successfully
treated for TNBC and is disease-free 5 or more years has almost no risk of having the cancer come back. 
  This is good news for five-year survivors and makes this milestone especially important for women diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer.  
I think the message is triple negative breast cancer accounts for between 10 to 15 percent of all breast cancers. We haven't solved this problem yet, but it's also not a death sentence. The majority of women with triple negative breast cancers are -- thankfully -- cured and survive. Triple negative cancer is something that if it has not come back by the five-year mark, you are almost certainly are cured of it. 

references
TNBCF co-founder and executive director Hayley Dinerman 


Most women with triple-negative breast cancer never have a metastatic recurrence or a new cancer.
After 3 years the chance of recurrence of TNBC is reduced by 50%.
 With each year after the 3 year mark the chance of recurrence is reduced by an additional 10%-15%.
 Long term survivors (longer than 5 years) have almost a 0% rate that the disease will recur. With other breast cancers the recurrence rate climbs after the first 5 years.

One 2013 study reported that women with stage III triple negative disease are vulnerable to metastasis during the first two to five years after diagnosis. The cumulative incidence of  metastases at five years was 9.6% among patients with stage III disease, compared to 2.8% for stage I and 4.6% for stage II.
(In other words you have a 90.6% to not have metastasis)

references 
 American Society of Clinical Oncology 
SABCS

Triple-negative breast cancer has caught the attention of major researchers throughout the world, which is a great thing—it means that we are learning more and more about how to prevent and treat this illness

 let’s look at some of the data and what they mean. And rather than simply accepting the gloomy picture that is often presented, let’s approach this in the enterprising spirit of yeah, but….

It is true that hormone-negative breast cancers can be more aggressive than hormone-positive. But the majority of women who get the disease survive.

It is true that most cases of recurrence come within the first three years.But that means that those who hit five years are looking at an excellent prognosis. A better long-term prognosis, in fact, than those with hormone-positive.

It is true that triple-negative is more likely to have spread to the lymph nodes. But many women with TNBC have no positive nodes—and, if they do, they still beat the disease and survive.

Here are more positives:

Your tumor responds better to chemotherapy than tumors that are estrogen and progesterone positive. Chemo works better on you.

If you remain disease free for four or more years the chances are your cancer will not EVER return.

You do not have to take endocrine therapy drugs that have a whole host of side effects that are not pleasant.

And there is emerging research every day into this type of breast cancer that is making the “poor prognosis” moniker a thing of the past.

The following is an up to the minute report on the latest trends and breakthroughs in Triple Negative treatment. You will see that there is a tremendous amount of HOPE.

Please do not despair with this diagnosis. It CAN be beaten. 

Studies have demonstrated that triple negative disease exhibits a unique recurrence pattern and that not only is there a very sharp decline in recurrence risk of triple negative disease after the fourth year post-diagnosis, but that the risk of distant recurrence falls to absolute zero! - unheard of in any other type of breast cancer - from five years and after (and is in any event extremely small, almost negligible, even from five years forward), and in addition, although local recurrence is a risk factor for later distant recurrence among women with all other types of breast carcinomas, this does NOT hold true for triple-negative tumors it was found that any local recurrence in triple negative disease is not associated with increased metastatic risk. 

reference

Oncology  Investigators 

No Surrender Breast Cancer Foundation

I have learned to turn statistics around and to always have a positive perspective. For example, when research says that 20 percent of the women with triple negative died in a particular study, I turn this around and realize that 80 percent of the women survived. And if, in another study, a triple-negative woman faces twice the risk increased risk of death compared with hormone-positive, I look at the fact that the difference is between a 10 percent risk of and a 20 percent risk. And, while they are decreased odds , they still mean an 80 percent chance of not dying. Even starting with a poorer prognosis, the odds can still be with you. TNBC is a very survivable disease and has many blessings associated such as being considered cured and not looking over our shoulders in 5 years. Personality I feel everyday I'm cancer free I am already cured,however I will breath another sigh of relief at my 3 year anniversary milestone.

God has blessed me and I pray for you and your family to have many blessings also~

I hope this has helped ease some doubts and fears and help place a positive outlook on your journeys to concur TNBC!

www.gofundme.com/I-will-beat-cancer

Most women with triple-negative breast cancer never have a metastatic recurrence or a new cancer.
Most women with triple-negative breast cancer never have a metastatic recurrence or a new cancer.

I anticipate a wonderful year full of love, good health, faith, friendship, and happiness in 2015

Its 2015 and I anticipate a wonderful year full of love, good health, faith, friendship, and happiness~
I look forward to growing, learning, and volunteering to help others and join with many selfless, amazing people to touch lives and ease fears of women on their journeys~ I trust that God gives me the ability to inspire them and exhume strength, hope, faith, and let their fears diminish as they too can beat breast cancer!


I have faced my mortality and beyond my grasp of comprehending "breast cancer doesn't happen to me" no family history, no gene mutation, I'm young, I'm healthy, it did. "Tag I was it" sadly I was 1 in 8 women that are diagnosed.
I sat and listened to my oncologist last week as I beat TNBC and have the mental security to know I'm cancer free say to my husband " Can you imagine how Heather felt having stage III cancer with five children?"
In the beginning until I had all the scans, facts,and percentages, I was scared briefly and then an inner peace completely blanketed me and God lifted me. My fight and resolve had never been stronger and although the road was bumpy I endured and prevailed.

As all journeys are individual after heavily weighing all facts, of the risks vs benefits and ending chemo I prayed all other decisions would not ever be as difficult.
Well even tho I am cancer free my ride will not come to an end for the next five years. The journey gets less taxing in three years as your risks for a recurrence in TNBC peaks at three years and then it drops greatly there after and you are considered cured in five. I will have blood test every two months, a scan yearly, and be closely monitored however I'm cured now as I'm cancer free.
Once again I have made a very difficult decision in the last phase of treatment to not have radiation daily with 33 treatments. I am a grey area and my team of physicians are split and have a difference of opinion. Now I was back to what I thought I would not be faced with again as I needed to make another very difficult decision. I asked myself how do I arrive at the correct one and take the best path in this journey to remain healthy. I pray and simply weigh all the risks vs the benefits and all percentages and I knew I had just simplified the decision process.

I have been ill often since ending chemo mid September and am told my immunity is compromised as its normal after chemo therapy. I'm told by my physicians it requires 6-12 months to rebuild my immune system. In my case with my young age and overall good health it should take around 6 months with proper diet,exercise and rest as they are the only means to rebuild a strong immune system.

Rob and I have talked to my team of all five physicians gathered their opinions all the facts, risks and odds and prayed. We arrived and are steadfast in our decision to not receive radiation.
With TNBC once you achieve a PCR "no cancer found" You are given an excellent prognosis upwards of 90-95% survival.
My grey area was on the original PET scan before I started treatment there was a very small area between my breast they called a couple of tiny hot spots they could not biopsy. Lets assume they where cancer then, admittedly the physicians who say its not been studied , call my risks based off an educated guess 15-20 %. I'm told by my radiologist that radiation takes the 15-20% down to around a 10%.
We know the large volume proven studies say in light of my PCR I am in the 95%. range.
Radiation will lower my immunity, permanently scar my lungs and change my skin, can cause lymphedema, heart damage (as chemo did) years later. Rarely but a second cancer can occur and all effects are permanent and will last my entire life. Unfortunately some have a  recurrence in-spite of completing radiation treatments.
It is important to know many TNBC patients who do not achieve a PCR still have a very good prognosis and do very well as studies show.

Three of my physicians feel in my individual case we made the correct decision to not endure radiation as the risk out weight my benefits.

2014 was the most difficult year I have ever endured physically, emotionally and financially.
However 2014 was filled with all 5 kids celebrating birthdays, our 16 year old obtaining a driver licence, our middle school er playing a great football season,dance lessons,strength, knowledge, new friends,love,family,laughter, pure miracles and complete blessings and my becoming cancer free.

I will be having my final reconstructive surgery the end of March and am excited to look like my old self again as it is a well earned consultation prize and hopefully my last surgery.

Now it is time to relish in my blessings, and pay it forward. To trust in God and know I will celebrate July 2017 my cancer free 3 year anniversary.
2015 is going to be an amazing year as I am determined to not worry about finances, new deductibles & copay's, or every test result, not to let any challenge interfere but to only make me stronger.To love and play with my family,and enjoy every sun rise and sun set. I will grab all positives everyday, make great achievements, and watch my children achieve many amazing, wonderful things in 2015.

God is great!

Please continue to send prayers that I remain healthy

 I pray for all the less fortunate

God Bless you and your family in this New Year


www.gofundme.com/I-will-beat-cancer